Since its inception in 1988, SummerSlam has brought life to WWE in the summer. Ironically, Vince McMahon created the event partially in competition against Jim Crockett Promotions, which is making a short-lived return this weekend with the Ric Flair’s Last Match card. The Flair match will run on Sunday evening, traditionally when SummerSlam airs, but this year marks a move to Saturday.
In addition to a rare (but increasingly common) Saturday showing, this is also the first time SummerSlam has run in July. The event has been home to plenty of magic from the golden era of the World Wrestling Federation, with Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth dominating the early years. Bret Hart brought a different level of wrestling to the show, crafting signature performances against Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart. There was the ugly, with Steve Austin landing on his neck in a match against Owen Hart, as well as the distinctly unforgettable—like Shawn Michaels’s overreactions to Hulk Hogan’s offense in 2005. There have also been plenty of great matches more recently, including Sasha Banks–Charlotte Flair, as well as Banks–Alexa Bliss (though Banks, unfortunately, is not part of this year’s card). Also missing this summer is John Cena, who wrestled a captivating match last year against Roman Reigns.
This year’s card is headlined by Reigns and Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match, another iteration of a pairing we have already witnessed on multiple occasions. There is potential that Montez Ford splits from Street Profits partner Angelo Dawkins, as well as two important title matches—Liv Morgan against Ronda Rousey and a SummerSlam rematch of Bianca Belair against Becky Lynch.
